Monthly Archives: October 2012

Five Crowns Restaurant in Chuck's hometown of Corona del Mar created a special dessert to honor Chuck on his centennial, all of the proceeds of which were donated to the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. Kudos to Five Crowns, their parent company, Lawry's, and all of the special people who lifted a glass of champagne in honor of Chuck Jones during the month of this celebration!

We send a special thank you to Tommy Martin at the Five Crowns who made Chuck and his wife, Marian, welcome guests of the restaurant for many, many years. Huzzah!

Chuck and Marian Jones with Tommy Martin of the Five Crowns Restaurant in Corona del Mar, California.

If you live in Orange County or are visiting, make a reservation at the Five Crowns, 3801 E. Coast Hwy., Corona del Mar, California 92625, 949.760.0331, it's scrumptious!

One of the attendees at the Center's recent fall fundraiser, Creativity Season, Laura Tanimoto, along with her mother, Lisa, sent the Center's Council president, Tracy Tanner, a wonderful thank-you note that they've graciously allowed us to share with all of you. Laura is a film studies student here in Orange County and supports the Center's efforts to reinvigorate the creative spirit in all of us.

The card reads:

Dear Tracy Tanner,

I want to thank you so much for inviting me and my mother to such a wonderful event. I was 1000% fulfilled by all of the artwork and people I met there. especially as a film major in college I thought it was very helpful to meet so many people that appreciate film, animation, and art. I was really infused with enthusiasm.

I also want to say congratulations on bringing the state of California to recognize all of the phenomenal things the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity does for the world. Art is so important and I would never wnt it to be forgotten in legislations. This was such a great thing to do and my mother and I were so proud when you were recognized!

Thank you once again Tracy for an exciting evening and for the gift of inspiration, enthusiasm, and passion that was left on our hearts! Sincerely Laura Tanimoto

And a quick note from Laura's mother:

Dear Tracy,

Laura wrote everything I wanted to say. Thank you so much!! Lisa Tanimoto

Costa Mesa, CA: The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity
announced today that on Saturday, November 3, 2012, beginning at 10 AM “Simpsons”
storyboard artist and director, Stephen Reis, will lead a workshop on creating
storyboards and character development during the Center’s “The Great, Grand
Chuck Jones Family Happening!” This event is free and open to the public and
will end at 1PM. The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity is located at 3321
Hyland Ave., Costa Mesa in Orange County’s hippest new gathering place, South
Coast Collection (SoCo).

Immediately
following “The Great, Grand Chuck Jones Family Happening” the Chuck Jones
Gallery will host a reception for painter Mike Kungl whose work graces the
halls of Warner Bros. Television, DreamWorks Entertainment and Ingram Micro to
name but a few of his corporate collectors. His Art Deco and Art
Moderne-inspired imagery is always in full bloom whether he’s painting a
beautiful woman or Bugs Bunny and one of his adversaries. The reception for
this artist will end at 4 PM and is free and open to the public.

“We’re
thrilled to be able to bring Stephen Reis to the Chuck Jones Center for
Creativity’s ‘The Great, Grand Chuck Jones Family Happening!’,” says Craig
Kausen, Chairman of the Center and Chuck Jones’s grandson. “His ability to
guide and nurture creativity is inspirational and a wonder to behold. Children
and adults will thoroughly enjoy their time with him.”

“Both
of my parents were very encouraging of my artistic pursuits. Not once can I
remember them trying to talk me out of going into an art-related career, while
at the same time reminding me that it is still a business and that you have to
be a professional to work as a professional,” says Stephen Reis about his
choice of career.

Stephen Reis

Currently the storyboard artist for the longest running
animated sitcom on television, “The Simpsons”, Reis brings a child-like
intensity to the work he creates tempered by an adult’s more realistic
approach. The results: hilarious!

“Mike Kungl is one of today’s art stars, known for his Art Deco/Moderne
influenced paintings and fine art prints,” notes Scott Dicken, VP of retail for
the Chuck Jones Companies and director of the Chuck Jones Gallery at SoCo.
“This will be his first exhibition at our Costa Mesa gallery and we will be
featuring never-before-seen original drawings, mixed media, and works on
canvas.”

"I strive to produce work that I'm
personally going to have fun designing and painting. Therefore when it's
complete my goal is having the collector be just as entertained looking
at it as I was creating it,” states Mike Kungl on his approach to selecting
subject matter and the creation of his artwork.

Mike Kungl

A resident of Orange County,
California, Kungl is the official artist of the 25th Annual Miami
Beach Art Deco Weekend. The Miami honor is just one of many in a
succession of developments that highlight Kungl’s growing reputation as a
recognized artist across the country and around the world. His work is featured
regularly in magazine articles, how to books and television shows. The Chuck Jones Gallery at the Center for
Creativity is pleased to represent his original work and fine art limited
editions.

Founded in 1999, the Chuck Jones
Center for Creativity’s vision is to inspire the innate creative genius within
each person that leads to a more joyous, passionate, and harmonious life and
world. These are important goals, particularly in today’s world, when arts
education is practically non-existent. The Center is dedicated to
reinvigorating the creative spirit and is accomplishing that through art
classes, exhibitions, lectures, and film festivals, all of which spring from
the material in the Chuck Jones archive. His writings, art, and other ephemera
from a nine-decade life along with his philosophy of guiding and nurturing
instruction form the basis of the programs of the Center.

The Chuck Jones Gallery has been an
Orange County institution since 1991 and a magnet for collectors and visitors
from around the world. Located inside the Center’s 8000 square foot building at
South Coast Collection, the OC’s most fashionable shopping and dining
destination, the Gallery regularly exhibits the work of Chuck Jones, Dr. Seuss,
Disney Studios, and the Chuck Jones Homage Artists which include Mike Kungl,
Bob Elias, Jeff Degrandis, Mike Peraza, James Coleman, and Tennessee Loveless.
Gallery hours are 10 to 6 Wednesday through Monday, closed Tuesday.

Creativity Season, the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity's fall fundraiser was a smashing success! All of our donors and supporters walked the red carpet and posed for our very own paparazzo. Click here to view the photos.

Author, film critic, and historian Leonard Maltin was our special host and we wish to thank he and his wife, Alice, for their generous support of the Center. Thank you!

Click the photo to see the rest of the photos from the Center's red carpet at Creativity Season.

Live in San Diego or the surrounding area? Or maybe visit often? Click through on the image below (it will open in a new window) to nominate the Chuck Jones Gallery–San Diego as the best gallery in the Gaslamp District's Lamplighter Awards. We've won for best new business and best gallery in years past and would love to keep the title and with your help we can do it!